SAVE THE CHILDREN!
I'm bored" is the mantra of my teenage daughter. "There's nothing to do!"The busy street corners, parking lots, and front stoop vigils being held by many of her peers are a glaring testament that she is not alone. Twice daily trips to the store, the sub shop, etc., wear thin after a while, as our children pace the streets of our city with no clear destination.
Being a teenager in today's violent society incurs enormous pressures and fears that we could never have imagined in our own growing-up experiences. Some of the activities well-meaning folks have regularly offered our children mandate that they engage in a certain task, be quiet, or get out! Too often we mimic the school system by demanding that our children conduct themselves as if they were adults. Having a social outlet is vitally important to who our teenagers are and are becoming, and it is our responsibility to provide it, rather than leaving them to their own devices. We should be addressing the pressing issues facing our young people with Kuumba (creativity).
We need to create and maintain safe havens in specific areas of our city so that our young folks can interact socially in a friendly, supportive atmosphere. We need to form a youth committee to give our children a voice in what should be provided within these safehouses to overpower the seduction of the streets. Unemployed or underemployed brothers and sisters in the community could earn income by providing security, mentorship, and coordinating (but not mandating) activities within the safehouses. Old schoolbuses could be appealingly decorated by youth and dispatched as shuttles throughout our neighborhoods to transport young folks to and from the safehouses.
The safehouses would include what the teens want, not what the legislators want for them, with no pressure to participate in any specific activity. If teens want loud music, then give them those thumping beats at the safehouses. How about a mini-theater with the Black movies we mostly have to travel way out to the Tri-State Mall to see, not just the popular ones but independent films that could awaken and stimulate their minds? Let's have pizza, french fries, an arcade/TV room, computers with internet access, and teen-oriented items provided by Black and Hispanic vendors. These vendors would apprentice young people to learn the value of entrepreneurship and perhaps even create products that initiate youth businesses in the real world. Young people could be paid to prepare and serve the food, trained to do security, "D.J." the music, and even provide child care for teen mothers who need to work. The jobs created would inspire pride and independence vs. wandering the streets, oftentimes ending up in situations they are not prepared to deal with and did not predict. Dances, talent shows, concerts, and teen speak-outs on pressing issues could be staples of these social centers. Cultural and political education could be made available to foster a sense of self and worth. Parents would know when their children were at the safehouse as the teens would sign in and out at the entrance, and yes, be searched for weapons to quell safety concerns.
We must not continue to escalate largely ineffective and oftentimes damaging, punitive band-aids as our only response to serious problems facing our community. I propose that more city dollars be earmarked for alternative solutions to teen issues, as well as bolstering the attractiveness of existing youth programs and community centers. Rescuing our youth must become the priority of our community and its elected representatives. Once the Kuumba starts flowing, the possibilities are endless! Let us embrace and not beat down our community's most precious resource, our future.